Machines such as articulated trucks, scrapers, wheel loaders, wheel dozers, motor graders, and wheeled excavators are each equipped with bumpers that help to prevent damage from engagement with worksite obstacles. Conventional bumpers generally take the form of a pressed, hollow, metal guard that is horizontally oriented and removably connected at the front and/or rear ends of a machine frame. In some embodiments, bumpers can support other machine components. For example, in some embodiments, a heat exchanger can be mounted to an upper surface of a bumper. An exemplary bumper is disclosed on page 8 of Product Brochure AEHQ6134 that published in March, 2011 (“the product brochure”).
Although the bumper disclosed in the product brochure may provide collision protection for the associated machine, it may also be problematic in some applications. In particular, when a heat exchanger is mounted directly to an upper surface of the exemplary bumper, an air flow passing across the upper surface and through a lower portion of the heat exchanger may become turbulent, due to a buildup of friction between the air flow and the upper surface. This turbulence may reduce an effectiveness of the heat exchanger under some conditions.
The disclosed bumper is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.